The Texas Rangers lost Corey Kluber to a strained shoulder on Sunday, an inning into his first start of the season. Now, just days later, they've lost closer Jose Leclerc to the same injury.
Leclerc has a Grade 2 strain of the teres major in his throwing shoulder, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The injury, Wilson notes, is not as severe as Kluber's. Still, Leclerc is expected to miss much of the shortened season, leaving the Rangers without their top ninth-inning option.
It's to be determined who Chris Woodward calls for in save situations. The Rangers seemingly have a number of options, albeit none with closing experience. Nick Goody received the first chance on Wednesday evening, notching his first career save. Jesse Chavez recorded nearly a handful of saves during the 2018 season as a member of the Chicago Cubs. In theory, longtime veteran starter Edinson Volquez could also factor into the equation.
The most intriguing candidate of the Rangers' bunch is 24-year-old rookie Jonathan Hernandez, who has just 12 big-league appearances under his belt. Hernandez has pitched in three games this season, and two of those had leverage indexes over 1.6 at the point of his entry. (Leverage index is a statistic that attempts to quantify the importance of any given situation.) For reference, Leclerc's average leverage index in 2019 was 1.23, suggesting Woodward is willing to trust Hernandez with the ball when it matters most.
Woodward's confidence in Hernandez makes sense. What he lacks in experience he makes up for with big-time stuff. So far this season, Hernandez's fastball is averaging over 97 mph. What's more is that his slider has proven to be a potent bat-misser, racking up a whiff rate over 45 percent during his abbreviated time in the Show. Whether or not Hernandez gets the call now, he's someone to keep in mind for late-inning work as this season and his career progress.
Leclerc had appeared in two games over the season's first week. For his career, he has a 3.19 ERA (155 ERA+) and a 2.21 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Rangers signed Leclerc to a four-year contract (with two club options) worth $14.75 million prior to the 2019 season.
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July 31, 2020 at 06:23AM
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Rangers lose closer Jose Leclerc to shoulder injury; why rookie could be best candidate to take over ninth - CBS Sports
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